Pokemon: Magikarp Jump Review + Tips – A Huuuuuuge Waste of Time, In a Fun Way

[Updated on November 15th, 2017]

Total Magikrap.

Back in May, Nintendo released a Pokemon across the mobile platform. That game is Magikarp Jump. Being a fan of all things Pokemon, I decided to give it a try out of boredom and curiosity. Basically Magikarp Jump is a virtual aquarium on your phone where you raise the worst iconic Pokemon to compete in jumping contests. The jumping contests are a complete bore to watch. Luckily there is a skip button and you’ll be using that a lot.

Look at all this fun stuff

So you fish up your first Magikarp and feed it some stupid berries and make it do some exercises to accumulate jump points (JP). When you get enough JP it will eventually reach it’s max level. With a maxed out level Magikarp you can see how far it can get in a league. If your Magikarp jumps higher then the opponent’s then you win. The more matches you win, the more you move up in the league. Eventually you become champion of that league and move on to a more experienced one. Each match you win grants you experience points as a trainer which allows you to level up (not the Pokemon). The higher rank trainer you are the better you can catch Magikarp with higher max levels. Then you go on to compete in higher leagues until you become the Jump Champion.

Winner winner chicken dinnerMoving up in the world

Magichanics.

Not again!

Magikarp Jump is simple. More points and higher levels mean more rewards.

You also earn coins along the way to boost the amount of JP you get from certain foods or training regimens. The numbers start to escalate quickly and thousands become millions and millions become billions. I’m working on getting to trillions at the moment. Everything from the trainer, Magikarp, berries, and regimens can be upgraded to a max level of 100.

Exciting news!

Gone Fishing for Coins, Diamonds, and More

Train me senpai!

In Magikarp Jump, there is another currency more precious than the coins and those are Diamonds. Diamonds are extra rare and you only obtain them in three to seven bunches. The diamonds are for purchasing extra rare treasures for your aquarium. Decorations can be purchased with these and they offer passive effects to your Magikarp.

That Adderall was worth it

For example, a Sudowoodo Bonsai tree will get you a modifier of +29% to coins you get from certain events. Diamonds can also get you support items that attract other Pokemon who can offer support skills with timed cool downs. My favorite item is the Shell Bell as it summons Greninja to offer a huge amount of JP to your Magikarp to level up very quickly. These Pokemon can be upgraded with support candies which you get from leveling up and from certain events.

Some of these support items and decorations are also gifted to you upon beating certain leagues. You can always purchase more coins and diamonds with the use of micro transactions and real money. However, this game can easily be beat without spending a single dime. I’m not gonna lie though, I’ve spent ten bucks to get some diamonds for an extra support Pokemon. Otherwise, the game is completely free for you to enjoy right off the app store.

Uh, um, uhhh I swear this never happens

All you need to beat this game is a whole bunch of extra time on your hands.

In your face KAREIGN!In YOUR face Karbuck!

The Update: New Leagues, Same Game

Bring it on

This month they released a new update that added two more leagues (Elite 4 and Master League) as well as extra support items and decorations. It’s a fun update, but now that I’ve beaten the game I need a better way to max out everything in the game. I need more support candies to power up the Pokemon that grant more coins and JP and more diamonds to obtain all the decorations. I could do it by buying it with real money, but that’s cheating and I’m cheap.

If only this happened in real life

Karpclusion

Magikarp Jump is just as bad as this sub-header pun. Overall, Magikarp Jump is a huge waste of time. However, if you’ve got time to kill then this game will do exactly that.

I find this app most useful when I need to wait in line at the grocery store. I would also open this app if I had to wait on someone for my last couple minutes before clocking out from work. In that regard, Magikarp Jump is an excellent game for passing by a few minutes here and there. However now that I’ve been playing for some time, I have a bunch of support Pokemon and other event triggers. These triggers have changed my two to five minute time-killing sessions to anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes.

Killing time

It is surprising how much Magikarp Jump can help you out when you’re dead bored with nothing to do.

Don’t think about killing yourself.

Instead, you can just feed your Magikarp some berries and whatnot.

Magikarp Jump feels like gambling after awhile. Once you understand what certain events do, like recover all your support skills or recover training points, you really start to gamble with time. I find myself crossing my fingers hoping I’ll get a Snorlax event so I can train three more times. In conclusion, Magikarp Jump kinda sucks as a game, but if you’re using it for the right reasons I guess it’s passable. I have yet to delete the app off of my mobile device so I guess that says something.

JK, the game never endsSee what I did there?

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An SF Bay Area native, perfect imperfectionist, and everyday legend. Photographer extraordinaire, master of analysis on the gaming scene, and creative professional. Sketching on the daily, traveling on the regular.

He's a hot off the press graphic designer who's got fresh ideas that are even hotter. He specializes in photography, Illustration and packaging design, but has also done typography, web design, and print design. He's led multiple projects for clients around the Bay Area. He left California State University East Bay with a B.A. in graphic design looking to redesign the world for the better.

He's passionate about everything design, art, and hip hop. Making things functional and aesthetically pleasing at the same time is something he wants todo for everyone. However, that just might be humanly impossible. So he'll start by doing so little by little.

An SF Bay Area native, perfect imperfectionist, and everyday legend. Photographer extraordinaire, master of analysis on the gaming scene, and creative professional. Sketching on the daily, traveling on the regular. He's a hot off the press graphic designer who's got fresh ideas that are even hotter. He specializes in photography, Illustration and packaging design, but has also done typography, web design, and print design. He's led multiple projects for clients around the Bay Area. He left California State University East Bay with a B.A. in graphic design looking to redesign the world for the better. He's passionate about everything design, art, and hip hop. Making things functional and aesthetically pleasing at the same time is something he wants to do for everyone. However, that just might be humanly impossible. So he'll start by doing so little by little.